Photos: Sunday Storm Batters Campus, All On-Campus Activities Cancelled

March 31, 2025 Bonnie Lord News, Photos 0

Four young people stand looking at a large, shattered tree lying on the grass next to a sidewalk in front of a brick building. The end of the tree furthest from the building lies in the street next to a car, with a black power line underneath it.
Students look at a fallen tree in front of Alpha Xi Delta sorority clubhouse where it pulled down a power line in Cass Street. Around 6:40 p.m., this section of street was closed to traffic (Photo by Lizzy Kelley).

This is a developing story and will be updated accordingly with timestamped Editors’ Notes. 

Editor’s Note – 3:08 p.m. Wednesday, April 2:

In an email sent today at 1:33 p.m., Albion College announced that power has been restored to “much of campus” as of this morning, with the exception of several residences on E. Erie St.

“Albion College classes, activities, and full campus operations, including all dining locations, will resume as normal on Thursday, April 3,” The email stated. “The first round of Registration will start Thursday, April 3. The second round of Registration will be Friday, April 4.”

Editor’s Note –5:11 p.m. Tuesday, April 1:

In an email sent today at 3:20 p.m., Albion College announced that all classes will be cancelled tomorrow.

“At this time, we expect Albion college classes to resume on Thursday, April 3,” The email stated. “On-campus activities may take place if done so safely in well lit areas.”

According to the current Consumers Energy outage map, power is estimated to be restored to the Albion area between 7:45 p.m. today and 8 a.m. tomorrow. Tomorrow night, the National Weather Service predicts possible severe thunderstorms. In the email, students planning to commute to Albion Wednesday night were told to “be aware” that the weather may impact their commute.

Editor’s Note – 3:30 p.m. Monday, March 31:

In an email sent today at 2:16 p.m., Albion College announced that all on-campus activities have been cancelled tomorrow, and housing and registration processes have been further “postponed.” The email also stated that all students are “welcome” to eat in Baldwin, the only location on campus where dining services continue.

The email also stated that the college expects to be “back to normal operations” on Wednesday. According to the Consumers Energy outage map, power is now estimated to be restored between 5:30 p.m. today and 7:45 p.m. tomorrow.

Yesterday evening, Albion was struck with winds of 70 mph that resulted in fallen trees and power outages across campus, causing the college to cancel today’s classes and delay class and housing registration to tomorrow.

At 6:19 p.m. yesterday, faculty, staff and students received an email from Albion College with an alert that a severe thunderstorm warning would be in effect until 6:30 p.m. in response to expected “70 mph wind gusts and hail.” The storm’s impact, according to an email from Albion College sent at 9:16 p.m, led to the cancellation of all on-campus activities. The email also stated that class and housing registration would be delayed until tomorrow.

The Pleiad reached out in-person and over the phone to Campus Safety yesterday. They declined to comment. An officer added over the phone that the office was “all hands on deck to help students with the outages.”

At 7:35 p.m. yesterday, students received an email from Student Development stating that “Albion College crews and public safety officials are on site actively working to respond to fallen trees, power outages and other targeted emergencies as a result” of the storm.

According to the Consumers Energy outage map, the estimated time of restoration for affected regions of Albion will be between 11:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. today. Until then, students can charge their devices at the Science Atrium and Office of Financial Aid, according to Albion College’s Instagram.

The 7:35 p.m. email also stated that areas of campus were without power due to downed power lines and “several trees and branches” that had fallen across campus. The email stated that students should “be mindful that power lines may be down and should be avoided.”

The email also advised students to stay indoors and “use extreme caution” if outdoors.

The storm came as part of a large system that swept across southern Michigan yesterday afternoon and evening, with the National Weather Service warning of damaging winds, large hail and the potential for isolated tornadoes.

Watervliet junior Alex Zoschke said the storm reminded him of his first year, fall semester, when “the same thing happened.”

“We’re making the best of it, trying to stay safe,” Zoschke said.

Editor’s Note: Monday, 11:50 a.m. A list of places where charging is available on campus was added.

According to the Consumers Energy outage map, the estimated time of restoration for affected regions of Albion will be between 11:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. today.
A screenshot taken yesterday at 8:30 p.m. of Albion on the Consumer’s Energy Outage Map, where each block of color corresponds to a power outage. At each location indicated by a blob of color, a message states when power is estimated to be restored (Photo illustration by Bonnie Lord).
A man in a green shirt stands with his arm around a man in a black sweatshirt on top of a large tree that was lying across a sidewalk. Pieces of wood and puddles of water are scattered around the tree.
Kingston junior Matthew Wilson and Fort Worth, Texas, junior Sebastian Quirarte stand on a fallen tree behind Baldwin after the storm died down yesterday. Like many others, the pair said they went out to explore the damage (Photo illustration by Lizzy Kelley).
A tree branch lies broken on a dark-colored sedan near a blue house with red trim.
A car parked next to Wesley sustains damages where a tree branch has fallen on it (Photo by Bonnie Lord).
People stand on a rainy sidewalk next to a streetlamp. Vehicles are present at an intersection next to the sidewalk, with some flashing blue and red lights.
Students gather at the intersection between Whitehouse and the fraternities where Albion Public safety patrol cars are parked in the aftermath of the storm (Photo by Bonnie Lord).
A broken tree lies on the ground near a tree trunk, with a stone building in the background.
A fallen tree, split near the bottom, lies on the ground behind the Library (Photo by Bonnie Lord).
A tree lies on a grassy lawn near a sidewalk, with a clump of soil clinging to its roots. There are two brick buildings in the background.
In front of Whitehouse, a pine tree lies on the ground. The tree was one of several ripped out of the ground by the roots during the storm yesterday (Photo by Bonnie Lord).
A white sign with broken wooden supports lies on mulch. The glass face of the sign is filled with water, and one of the split legs shows wires.
The Albion College chapel sign ripped out of the ground outside Goodrich Chapel, water collecting on its face (Photo by Bonnie Lord).
A dark brown tree lies on its side in front of a brick building. The tree’s root system is exposed, with dirt clinging to the roots. The tree’s branches extend outwards, surrounded by patches of dried, brown grass.
An uprooted tree outside Olin lies on its side, reaching across the sidewalk (Photo by Bonnie Lord).

Lizzy Kelley and Killian Altayeb also contributed reporting to this story.

About Bonnie Lord 68 Articles
Bonnie Lord is a junior from Alma, Michigan and an environmental science major at Albion College. She is driven by community, justice and sustainability. She enjoys bird watching, reading and dismantling the patriarchy. Contact Bonnie via email at [email protected].

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